Tutorial – Crochet Mitered Rectangles
Last week we talked about mitered squares. You can use a similar technique to create mitered rectangles, though it does require a little extra planning up front.
Sc Mitered Rectangle:
With a mitered rectangle, the first row defines the proportions. So to start, we need to decide what we want those proportions to be. What you’re looking for is the final stitch count that you want on each side (not counting the edging). You can determine this by taking your desired length and height, and multiplying those by your stitch gauge to find out how many stitches you need on each side. For this tutorial, let’s make a rectangle that is 5 stitches tall by 15 stitches wide.
So what we really need is to start with 10 extra stitches on one side. Our first row is really a rectangle in and of itself, and since it’s sc, it’s about 1 stitch tall. So if we add 10 extra stitches, that means we need it to be 11 stitches wide.
Ch 12, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (11 sc).
Now we have established the proportions, we can start with the mitered edge. Ch 1, sc in each st across, ch 2 for the corner, and then sc in the side of the last stitch to create the short edge of the rectangle. Now we have a rectangle with 1 stitch on one side, 11 stitches on the other side, and a chain space for the corner.
If we just keep going like we did for the mitered square, we will always have 10 more stitches on the long side than we do on the short side. Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across to the corner sp, (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner sp, sc in each remaining st across. After row 6, we have 5 stitches on one side, 15 on the other, and a chain space in the corner. Perfect!
Edging / Finishing:
The edging for the rectangle is exactly the same as it was for the square, except that you have one short side and one long side. Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across to corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner, sc in remaining sts across up to last st, (sc, ch 2, sc) in last st to create the next corner.
Not counting the corner stitches, we will have 4 stitches on each short side (remember the first stitch will become part of the corner), and 14 stitches on each long side. Do not turn, working into the edges of the rows, work 4 sc evenly spaced across the short side to the next corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner. Work 14 sc evenly spaced across the long side to the starting corner, (sc, ch 2) in the same corner st, and join to complete the round.
DC Mitered Square:
The difference with dc is that your first row is actually 2 stitches tall instead of 1. If our short side is 2 stitches tall, our long side needs to be 12 stitches.
Row 1: Ch 14, dc in 4th ch from hook and each ch across. The ch 3 at the beginning counts as a dc, so you should have 12 dc on this first row.
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn, dc in next st and each st across to last st, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) to make the corner, dc in side of last st to create the short edge. This adds a stitch to each side, so now we have 13 sts on the long side and 3 sts on the short side.
For the next row, Ch 3, turn, dc in next st and each st across to corner sp, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in sp, dc in each remaining st across. Now we have the 5 x 15 rectangle we wanted.
Edging / Finishing:
This edging is the same as the sc edging, except we’ve ended on the opposite side of our rectangle, so we’re starting with a long side. Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across to corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner, sc in remaining sts across up to last st, (sc, ch 2, sc) in last st to create the next corner. Do not turn, work 14 sc evenly spaced across the long side to the next corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner. Work 4 sc evenly spaced across the short side to the starting corner, (sc, ch 2) in the same corner st, and join to complete the round.
With the sc rectangles, because each side increases by 1 stitch on each row, you can have any stitch count you want. With the dc rectangles, you are increasing by 2 stitches at a time, so will always have an odd number. If you need an even number, you can do the first couple of rows in sc, and then switch to dc.
Next week, I’ll have a pattern to share with you using mitered rectangles, so be sure to check back!
2 Comments
Carol Egger
How do you keep mitred square/rectangle edges even? The two sidesnear the mitred corner are always longer than the two sides where you turn. Am I doing something wrong or is this a common problem corrected by blocking?
Pia Thadani
This happens because no one’s single crochet stitches are EXACTLY square. It usually will block out just fine. If it’s way off, try doing hdc stitches, or try pulling your loop up just a bit higher before you finish your single crochet to make a slightly taller stitch. Same thing with double – if your stitches aren’t exactly twice as tall as they are wide, you’ll get a slight skew, which usually will block out.